Christmas Cookies - Day 8

Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

Ingredients:

¾ cup all purpose flour

1 cup oatmeal

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 large egg

⅓ cup almond toffee bits

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Combine flour, oatmeal, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; stir to combine. Set aside.

3. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Add flour mixture; beat just until combined. Stir in toffee bits.

4. Drop dough by tablespoons 2 inches apart on 2 cookie sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350°F for about 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on pans for 1 minute. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Yields 2 dozen cookies.

Christmas Cookies - Day 7

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies


Ingredients:

¾ cup butter

1 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

1 Tablespoon vanilla

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon espresso powder, optional

¼ teaspoon baking powder

⅓ cup light corn syrup

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 large eggs

2¼ cups whole wheat flour

2⅔ cups (16 ounce) semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Directions:

1. In a saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, stir in the sugar. Heat until the mixture is just beginning to bubble. Remove from burner or microwave, transfer to a medium bowl, and allow to cool to lukewarm.

2. Stir in vanilla, salt, baking soda, espresso powder (if using), baking powder, corn syrup, and vinegar. Add eggs, beating well after each addition, then the flour, stirring to combine, and finally mix in the chips. Cover the dough and refrigerate overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line them with parchment paper.

4. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake two sheets at a time, reversing the pans midway through, until they are just beginning to brown around the edges, 12 to 13 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets, place on cooling rack.

Source: King Arthur Flour Company

Christmas Cookies - Day 6

Snickerdoodlesickerdoodles 
 
Ingredients:
1¾ cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
¼ cup butter, softened
1Tablespoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
3Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar, stirring with a whisk.

3. Combine one cup of sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add the corn syrup, vanilla, and egg; beat well. Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, beating just until combined. Cover and chill for 10 minutes.

4. Combine 3 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon, stirring with a whisk.

5. With moist hands, shape dough into 42 (1-inch) balls. Roll in sugar mixture. Place balls 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets coated with cooking spray. Flatten balls with the bottom of a glass. Bake at 350°F for 5 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft). Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Yields 42 cookies.

Source: Cooking Light Magazine, April 2003

Christmas Cookies - Day 5

Citrus Kissed Honey Buttons

Citrus-Kissed Honey Buttons
Ingredients:

1¾ cups all purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup butter, softened

1 large egg

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

1 Tablespoon finely grated orange zest

1 teaspoon lemon extract

Directions:

1. Whisk flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt in a small bowl.

2. With a mixer on medium, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add egg, honey, lemon and orange zests and lemon extract. Beat until well blended. Gradually add the flour mixture, beating on low speed just until combined. Cover and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

4. Roll the dough into 36 balls, about 2 teaspoons. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

5. Bake until puffed and beginning to crack, 6 to 8 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.


Yields 3 dozen cookies.

Source: Eating Well Magazine, December 2010

Christmas Cookies - Day 4

Triple Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

¼ cup butter, softened

½ cup dark brown sugar

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup canola oil

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup all purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat pastry flour

¼ cup cocoa, not Dutch processed

¼ teaspoon salt, optional

2 ounces dark chocolate

2 ounces milk chocolate

⅔ cup chopped pecans, toasted


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add oil and egg and beat until creamy. Mix in vanilla.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in the dark and milk chocolates and the pecans. Mix well. Drop dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool.


Yield 2 dozen cookies.


Source: Food Network, Ellie Krieger

Christmas Cookies - Day 2

Molasses Spice Crackles

Ingredients:

1⅓ cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon cloves

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup butter, softened

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 Tablespoons molasses

1 large egg white

¼ cup sugar

Directions:

1. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Set aside.

2. Place butter and brown sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add molasses and mix to combine. Add egg white and continue beating.

3. Add flour mixture and mix until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Gently press mixture into a ball; wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 2 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F.

5. With slightly moistened hands, shape dough into small balls. Place granulated sugar in a bowl. Roll in sugar. Place 3 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from pan; let cool on a wire rack.

Yields 40 cookies.

Source: Cooking Light, October, 1996.

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies

It's Christmastime and I naturally think of baking. Of course baking involves my two favorite things - fat and sugar. And baking leads to one of my least favorite things - extra pounds. In order to accomplish one of my favorite things without one of my least favorite things, I thought I would come up with a few healthier options for cookies.

My first objective was to make a good cookie. Why? Because it's Christmas and no one should eat bad food at Christmas. Over the next eleven days, we will post one cookie recipe each day. I hope you enjoy them and have happy and healthy holiday season.

Chewy Chocolate-Cherry Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

⅓ cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 large egg

⅔ cup dried tart cherries

¼ cup bittersweet chocolate

Cooking spray or parchment paper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

3. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add vanilla and egg; beat well. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture. Beat just until combined. Fold in cherries and chocolate chips.

4. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets coated with cooking spray or parchment paper. Bake at 350°F for about 12 minutes or until just set. Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire racks.

Yields 30 cookies.

Source: Cooking Light Magazine, December 2005